Todd Gloria says he knew nothing about the Devil mailer

Supporters of District 3 City Council candidate Stephen Whitburn are riled up this afternoon, in light of a mailer sent by supporters of Whitburn’s opponent, Todd Gloria. The mailer (PDF, black & white) depicts two hands clasped. One is clearly human, while the other, with its red skin and black nails, was more likely to have originated in hell. The mailer said that Whitburn has taken “thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from special interests,” and it shows a simplified rendering of a Whitburn fundraising disclosure form. The last names of donors are blotted out, but the list shows first names, employers, and occupations, many of which are listed as “Development.” The Whitburn campaign says that some of the occupations are wrong and create the impression that he is heavily supported by developers. Ironically, one of the blotted out last names is “Whitburn.” Stephen’s brother, Mark, a Texas lawyer, contributed to the campaign.

Whitburn himself wasn’t available to speak with me, but his spokesman, Sean Wherley, returned my call.

“It’s obviously a disturbing piece that distorts the influence and professions of a lot of the people listed,” Wherley said. “It’s unsettling that they’d go to this extent to make their point.”

When I spoke to Gloria, he said he had no idea the mailer existed, nor did he have any communication with the people who funded it. I asked him if he’d repudiate the mailer.

“It’s not my style,” he said, referring to the mailer and its tone. “I try to run a positive campaign. I had nothing to do with it. I’m as surprised as everybody else.”

For Wherley, Gloria’s knowledge of the mailer is irrelevant.

“I think it speaks to who supports Todd Gloria in this campaign,” he said.